The Road Not Taken

The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost
TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.


There are some moments when I look back on the past and wonder what would've happened if I'd taken a different path. Not a radically different path, just what if I'd made some different choices. Where would I be today? I can't judge better or worse, but life would be different.

Spring Break

It is Spring Break; one of my favorite times of the year. I look forward to it for a couple of reasons: One, the weather is improving and summer is coming. Two, it's the last great pause before the push to the end of the school year.

This year the weather hasn't been very cooperative. But I did get out of town for a few days. My parents and another couple were headed down to the Seven Feathers Casino in Canyonville. I went along and lost some money. I am not a good Blackjack player, but I had fun trying. And the penny slot machines can entertain me for hours on very little investment. And the Sunday buffet is outstanding.

Since we were in Southern Oregon we also made a couple side trips. One day we went to Central Point where we visited the Lillie Belle Farms chocolate shop (they make these awesome Red Velvet Almonds) and the Rogue Creamery (love their Oregon Blue Cheese) and of course, Harry and David's Country Village. We also visited RoxyAnn Vineyards.

On another day we headed north to the Roseburg area. Again, we did some wine tasting. This time at Reustle Prayer Rock Vineyards. It was a really neat experience. For a fee we sampled three of their wines paired with specific appetizers while seated in the wine cave.

Taste of Home Cooking School

My mother has been a subscriber to Taste of Home Magazine for years. It's been great inspiration for the ole' "What's for dinner?" question. Anyway, Taste of Home sponsors cooking schools; demonstrations of different dishes and it travels around the country. Three years ago I attended the fall demonstration in Crescent City and told mom about it. Last year she, Traci and Meka attended the one in Corvallis. This last Thursday the cooking school was in Corvallis again. Mom, Traci and I attended and came away with some good ideas. I can't wait to try the Mexican Lasagna.

Girls Weekend

Every year my brother-in-law has a "Guys Quad Weekend" in North Bend. This year my father and Uncle Dave went along. Since there were no girls allowed, Mom, Traci and I decided to have a "Girls Weekend". Aunt Shirley and Alyssa came along for two days of shopping and food.

We stayed at the Paramount Hotel, which was a first for all of us. Thanks to Becky for the suggestion. We shopped, using Max, the Street Car or walking to get where we wanted to go. That had the added advantage of keeping our Ikea purchases to a minimum. We had a couple really good dinners at Pastini Pastaria and the Deschutes Brewery. If only the weather had been more cooperative. It was really, really blustery.

We're already making tentative plans for next year.

The March of Time

Is time relevant? Or relative? On the one hand, it's March already and I'm wondering where the first two months of the year have gone. I know all about the mechanics of time. Moon rotates around the Earth; Earth rotates around the Sun and we have days, nights, seasons. But seriously....why does it seem to pass so quickly even when we're not having fun?

The passage of time also has meaning when compared to other things. I sometimes forget, I mean I have to literally stop and count, how old I am. In this respect, time is relative. I spend my days with teenagers, and the more they think they change, the more they resemble the teens I've known since I was a teenager myself. But that's work related, and I don't want to write about work! :)

So, is time relevant or is it simply relative? Maybe there is no answer except the one we really want at any given moment.